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KUCINICH'S ROLE IN THE RACE
JOHN NICHOLS, THE NATION - The media managers of the 2008 presidential
contest worked for months to get Dennis Kucinich off the stage and out
of the running. And they have finally succeeded, as the Ohio Congressman
says he is now "transitioning out of the presidential campaign" and into
a tough Democratic primary race for reelection to his Cleveland- area
U.S. House seat.
Kucinich's decision to quit the Democratic presidential race is an
acknowledgement of reality. Never flush with the funds needed to buy
paid media, he has lately been denied access to the free media that is
the lifeblood of insurgent candidacies. The congressman was excluded
from the last few debates by the television networks, and his campaign
events -- even those that drew substantial crowds in New Hampshire and
Michigan - went largely uncovered. . .
Much is made of the populist turn the presidential race has taken as
economic conditions have worsened. But when none of the other candidates
were taking pointed stands on trade policy, the mortgage crisis and real
health- care reform, it was Kucinich who staked out precise positions
and forced the other candidates to offer working Americans more than
mere rhetoric.
The AFL-CIO extended an enthusiastic invitation to Kucinich to
participate in the labor federation's August debate in Chicago because
union leaders knew that he alone would guide the debate toward specifics
on questions of how to reform free-trade agreements, renew industries
and protect the rights of workers to organize. At that debate, it was
Kucinich who earned the loudest applause. . .
One of things that most debate moderators found so frustrating about
Kucinich was his determination to talk about the bread-and-butter issues
that matter most to working Americans, rather than to play their games.
Kucinich forced the anchormen and the reporters, as well as the other
candidates, to pay a little attention to the problems of factory
workers, shop clerks and farmers. There is no question that the Ohioan's
determination to do this influenced more prominent and well-funded
contenders, especially former North Carolina Senator John Edwards.
http://www.thenation.com/blogs/thebeat?bid=1&pid=275108
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WHEN BILL CLINTON GETS MAD
DICK MORRIS, RASMUSSEN REPORTS - That picture of the seething, red-faced
former president of the United States shaking his finger at members of
the press who dare to question his wife's slimy campaign tactics, is all
too familiar to those who have worked closely with him in the past. . .
I've been at the other end of that anger too many times and I was always
amazed at the suddenness and intensity of his fury.
Early one Sunday morning, he woke me up at my Connecticut home screaming
into the phone, "have you seen the Washington Post? Blearily, I said no
that I wasn't in Washington (it was in the pre-Internet days).
Apparently, the paper's lead article had our poll and focus group
questions about his character and image.
"Who did you tell? "Who did you tell? he shrieked. I assured him that I
never spoke to the press.
"Well, who did you speak to? he screeched.
"I only spoke to George [Stephanopopous] and Rahm [Emmanuel], (his two
closest aides).
That set him off even more. He yelled even louder: "You only told George
and Rahm! You ONLY told George and Rahm! Why didn't you just send out a
f-ing press release. Don't you understand that you can't tell those two
anything that you don't want to see on the front page of the Washington
Post? They leak everything!
He kept screaming about how he couldn't keep anything confidential
because everyone who worked for him leaked. Then he slammed the phone
down.
I was shaken.
The phone conversation recalled an even more difficult encounter with
his temper.
Many years earlier, in 1990, he seriously overstepped his boundaries
with me during one of his blind rages and permanently changed our
relationship.
It was during his last gubernatorial race and he was falling behind in
the polls. When we met at the governor's mansion, it was close to
midnight. Hillary and Gloria Cabe, his campaign manager at the time,
were at the meeting with Bill and me. I had left Connecticut after oral
surgery that morning to arrive in time for a 6 p.m. meeting. My mouth
was killing me, but I avoided taking any pain killers to be alert for
the strategy session. The meeting was changed several times because Bill
had decided to do the Nightline Show. He finally arrived back to the
mansion in a foul mood. Even though he was a teetotaler, I wondered if
he had been drinking.
When he learned of his decline in the polls, he immediately blamed me,
accusing me of spending too much time with other clients. Yelling and
screaming, he escalated his charges, refusing to listen to me tell him
that his latest ad had not been on television yet when the poll was
completed. He kept ranting.
Finally, I had enough. I stood up and said I was leaving, quitting the
campaign. I grabbed my coat and headed out of the mansion. As I crossed
the foyer, I suddenly fell to the ground, tackled by Bill Clinton. I saw
his large fist coming at me. Hillary was trying to get between us,
yelling "Bill, Bill, stop it. Think about what you are doing. Bill, stop
it!
Bill got up and I walked out the door. Hillary ran after me. She tried
to calm me and asked me to walk around the grounds of the Mansion with
her. "He only does this to people he loves, she told me. (I'll leave
that one for the psychologists.). . .
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/
political_commentary/commentary_by_dick_morris/
bill_clinton_s_temper_negatively_affects_hillary_s_campaign
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KUCINICH'S ROLE IN THE RACE
JOHN NICHOLS, THE NATION - The media managers of the 2008 presidential
contest worked for months to get Dennis Kucinich off the stage and out
of the running. And they have finally succeeded, as the Ohio Congressman
says he is now "transitioning out of the presidential campaign" and into
a tough Democratic primary race for reelection to his Cleveland- area
U.S. House seat.
Kucinich's decision to quit the Democratic presidential race is an
acknowledgement of reality. Never flush with the funds needed to buy
paid media, he has lately been denied access to the free media that is
the lifeblood of insurgent candidacies. The congressman was excluded
from the last few debates by the television networks, and his campaign
events -- even those that drew substantial crowds in New Hampshire and
Michigan - went largely uncovered. . .
Much is made of the populist turn the presidential race has taken as
economic conditions have worsened. But when none of the other candidates
were taking pointed stands on trade policy, the mortgage crisis and real
health- care reform, it was Kucinich who staked out precise positions
and forced the other candidates to offer working Americans more than
mere rhetoric.
The AFL-CIO extended an enthusiastic invitation to Kucinich to
participate in the labor federation's August debate in Chicago because
union leaders knew that he alone would guide the debate toward specifics
on questions of how to reform free-trade agreements, renew industries
and protect the rights of workers to organize. At that debate, it was
Kucinich who earned the loudest applause. . .
One of things that most debate moderators found so frustrating about
Kucinich was his determination to talk about the bread-and-butter issues
that matter most to working Americans, rather than to play their games.
Kucinich forced the anchormen and the reporters, as well as the other
candidates, to pay a little attention to the problems of factory
workers, shop clerks and farmers. There is no question that the Ohioan's
determination to do this influenced more prominent and well-funded
contenders, especially former North Carolina Senator John Edwards.
http://www.thenation.com/blogs/thebeat?bid=1&pid=275108
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
WHEN BILL CLINTON GETS MAD
DICK MORRIS, RASMUSSEN REPORTS - That picture of the seething, red-faced
former president of the United States shaking his finger at members of
the press who dare to question his wife's slimy campaign tactics, is all
too familiar to those who have worked closely with him in the past. . .
I've been at the other end of that anger too many times and I was always
amazed at the suddenness and intensity of his fury.
Early one Sunday morning, he woke me up at my Connecticut home screaming
into the phone, "have you seen the Washington Post? Blearily, I said no
that I wasn't in Washington (it was in the pre-Internet days).
Apparently, the paper's lead article had our poll and focus group
questions about his character and image.
"Who did you tell? "Who did you tell? he shrieked. I assured him that I
never spoke to the press.
"Well, who did you speak to? he screeched.
"I only spoke to George [Stephanopopous] and Rahm [Emmanuel], (his two
closest aides).
That set him off even more. He yelled even louder: "You only told George
and Rahm! You ONLY told George and Rahm! Why didn't you just send out a
f-ing press release. Don't you understand that you can't tell those two
anything that you don't want to see on the front page of the Washington
Post? They leak everything!
He kept screaming about how he couldn't keep anything confidential
because everyone who worked for him leaked. Then he slammed the phone
down.
I was shaken.
The phone conversation recalled an even more difficult encounter with
his temper.
Many years earlier, in 1990, he seriously overstepped his boundaries
with me during one of his blind rages and permanently changed our
relationship.
It was during his last gubernatorial race and he was falling behind in
the polls. When we met at the governor's mansion, it was close to
midnight. Hillary and Gloria Cabe, his campaign manager at the time,
were at the meeting with Bill and me. I had left Connecticut after oral
surgery that morning to arrive in time for a 6 p.m. meeting. My mouth
was killing me, but I avoided taking any pain killers to be alert for
the strategy session. The meeting was changed several times because Bill
had decided to do the Nightline Show. He finally arrived back to the
mansion in a foul mood. Even though he was a teetotaler, I wondered if
he had been drinking.
When he learned of his decline in the polls, he immediately blamed me,
accusing me of spending too much time with other clients. Yelling and
screaming, he escalated his charges, refusing to listen to me tell him
that his latest ad had not been on television yet when the poll was
completed. He kept ranting.
Finally, I had enough. I stood up and said I was leaving, quitting the
campaign. I grabbed my coat and headed out of the mansion. As I crossed
the foyer, I suddenly fell to the ground, tackled by Bill Clinton. I saw
his large fist coming at me. Hillary was trying to get between us,
yelling "Bill, Bill, stop it. Think about what you are doing. Bill, stop
it!
Bill got up and I walked out the door. Hillary ran after me. She tried
to calm me and asked me to walk around the grounds of the Mansion with
her. "He only does this to people he loves, she told me. (I'll leave
that one for the psychologists.). . .
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/
political_commentary/commentary_by_dick_morris/
bill_clinton_s_temper_negatively_affects_hillary_s_campaign
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